


Musebox - #25 - Shadow

by catystorm (trismegistus)



Series: Kansaki Sou [13]
Category: Multi-Fandom, Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossover, Gen, Original Characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-25
Updated: 2010-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-09 03:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/82632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trismegistus/pseuds/catystorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt #25 of 50</p>
            </blockquote>





	Musebox - #25 - Shadow

**#25 - Shadow**

Kennichi flicked his ear and, after a moment, shook his head. There was something just there, barely on the highest end frequency that he could hear, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. It was annoying, and didn't come in any sort of pattern. He was trying not to let it distract him, but it was akin to a fly that chose to buzz around his ears, he couldn't just ignore it.

He didn't get much notice, skulking around in the shadows of an alley off the main road. There were a lot of strays in this town and while Kennichi was very clearly a wolf, people tended to let common sense distract them when an animal acted outside of its normal behavior patterns. Most passerby would convince themselves easily that he was just a large dog who bore a passing resemblance to their more feral ancestors.

Two days ago Yuukito didn't come back from a fairly simple mission. It was a small drug bust, and while Yuukito was very capable of taking care of himself, the fact that he didn't come back at all had set tensions high at the Kansaki Sou. Even Kenshin, who didn't agree a bit with Yuukito on anything, was clearly worried. So Kennichi had taken the initiative. His lupine tendencies gave him a clear advantage that none of the others had.

The buzzing was beginning to drive him bonkers. Kennichi lifted his head and whined, then shook his head violently. It was making his canine side override his human sensibility, and that was bad. That was what separated Kennichi from a regular werewolf, he had complete control over himself no matter the form. Now the sound was coming from a clear direction and, despite Kennichi's inner wolf wanting to make a break for it, he had to know what was causing this very specific, very high-pitched eardrum destroying noise.

Yuukito was an odd duck out at the Kansaki Sou. He rarely stayed for any length of time, preferring instead to travel the world and hone his skills. More than anything, he was an assassin. Kenshin did not agree with Yuukito in any of his choices, especially the ones that led him to take human lives for money. Yuukito and Kenshin both were clones of Kennichi, and while Kenshin and Kennichi could pass for twins, Yuukito was a washed-out copy, pale skin, white hair that had just the faintest tinge of color to it. He was a white shadow, Kennichi and Kenshin's opposite in every way.

All that meant was that while he didn't agree with what Yuukito did to get by, Kennichi would still fight for the death for him. They were brothers in the weirdest sense.

The noise led Kennichi further down the alley. He kept flicking his ears, occasionally the noise would cut out but it was growing more consistent. He still couldn't make anything of it, if it was a high-frequency transmission or if it was something designed to keep stray animals away.

There were plenty of interlocking alleyways in the city, and even if they weren't Kennichi was good at making himself small and unseen. He slunk along beside trash cans and stoops, and the pedestrians didn't pay him any heed. Just a stray with no tags and no interest in people.

Kennichi's trail ended in a dead-end alleyway. The noise was certainly issuing from something in the piles of trash in this overlooked stretch between two large stores. There weren't any stray cats or other animals to contend with, so Kennichi took it carefully, aware of how out of sorts he felt and how out of place he was, if that noise was put in place to discourage four-legged interlopers.

The noise started up suddenly again, almost blasting Kennichi to one side. He shook his head frantically and whined loudly, pawing at one ear before he could stop himself. The noise ceased almost immediately, and a voice issued weakly from one of the piles of trash. "...nichi?"

Both of his ears stood up. Kennichi's keen sense of smell had been overridden by the intense piles of garbage, but now that he knew to be looking for someone he caught the scent of blood easily. He sniffed around until he located what seemed like the most probably source, and, glancing around to look for observers, resumed his human form.

One of the downsides to shifting between forms was that Kennichi couldn't make clothing out of the fur he sprouted as a wolf. He was used to coming out of his form in the nude, but he knew that the people around him didn't usually appreciate it. However, he needed his arms and hands for this.

Kennichi started moving the bags of trash. His nose wasn't as keen in human form as it was in wolf, but it was still far more sensitive than a normal human's. Either form aside, the smell of blood got stronger as he moved the bags.

There was a body under the bags that was the source of the blood-smell, but it wasn't Yuukito. Kennichi frowned; this body was at least two days dead. Then he spotted movement from the corner of his eyes and saw, waving weakly from under another bag of trash, a hand.

Kennichi moved several feet over and started digging, unearthing Yuukito. He was wounded, both his legs were bloody and his hair was almost stained dark brown in spots. "You look like you've had a bad day," Kennichi said, clearing the trash around his clone.

"Understatement," Yuukito muttered weakly. "Knew you'd come."

"Did you?" Kennichi frowned, how was he going to get Yuukito moved if he couldn't walk? Plus he was naked, that was going to cause a scene if they just staggered out on the street together.

"Take the pants off the dead guy," Yuukito said, dropping a switch he'd been pressing from one hand weakly.

"Stop reading my mind," Kennichi said. "How about I take your pants and you wear the dead guy's clothes?"

Kennichi earned a dark glare from Yuukito. "Just do it before I fuckin' die of blood loss and sepsis over here."

The werewolf muttered under his breath. "Dude, the guy fuckin' SOILED himself-"

"KENNICHI!"

"Screw this shit," Kennichi said, resuming his wolf form. "I'll carry you on my back." Yuukito rolled his eyes as Kennichi wormed his way under Yuukito. "How did you know I'd be coming, anyway?"

Yuukito nodded at the device he had dropped. "A hypersonic signal just barely on the range of awareness for lycanthropes. Either it was going to be you, or another werewolf who would tear me apart. Judging by the people who want to kill me, I'll take my chances with it being another werewolf." He gripped Kennichi's fur as the werewolf concentrated to increase his size so he'd be able to carry Yuukito across his back. "How'd you know I wasn't dead?"

"I just knew." Kennichi said. "Hang on, we're getting out of here now."


End file.
